Right Behind You
by coconut994777
Summary: Sans encounters a very sleepless Frisk, and they try to think of a way to close the barrier without giving up Frisk. Pacifist AU!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Fluffy hurt/comfort one-shot, because yes. Slight AU where Frisk is able to visit friends before fighting Asgore, but after doing the quest in Alphys's lab. Gender neutral Frisk, please let me know if I screw it up anywhere!**

Frisk had been sleeping on their couch for a few days since Undyne had moved in with Alphys at the lab. They had so much fun hanging out with the skeleton brothers; sentry duty, playing with the dog guards, wandering around the Underground. But they weren't ready to face Asgore. They just couldn't do it.

Frisk kept getting phone calls with a mysterious voice on the other end after helping Alphys gain the courage to send the Amalgams home. Phone calls turned into visits from Flowey, who would say a few words when Frisk was alone and then disappear again. The child was afraid of telling their friends about it, unsure if any of them even knew about SAVEs and RESETs. Even they didn't understand it entirely.

Frisk had started dozing off while sitting with Sans at his sentry station in Waterfall. They rubbed their eyes to see Sans drinking a bottle of ketchup, and waving to some monsters passing by.

"Hey Sans…" they said weakly.

"Yeah, buddy?" He said, taking another gulp.

"Do you…think I'm a coward?"

Sans thought about it for a moment, "That's not how I would describe you, no. You're shy, but you never ran away from a situation that you could fix by talking... I guess except for that one time with Undyne," he laughed a little to himself. "She was LIVID, kid, it was hilarious."

Frisk set their head back down on the table in the station. "But… Asgore is still waiting for me to confront him at the barrier."

"Listen kid…" Sans's voice dropped, and he placed a bony hand on their shoulder. "From the way it sounds right now, it's either you or Asgore. You know none of us want you to face that, that's why we're all still making a plan of how to approach him. It'd be easier if we had the queen to talk to him." Frisk paused for a second, something clicking in their mind. They slapped their face, and then grabbed Sans by the hand as they got up abruptly. "Woah, easy there, where are we off to?"

"That door… that door that you heard jokes from…the lady you told me about at the MTT Resort…" they continued to drag Sans, but looked behind at him. "When was the last time you talked to her?"

"Ummm… not since you got here, buddy." Sans pulled the kids arm back a little, stopping their fast pace. "I have a quicker idea." He grabbed Frisk's wrist, and in a flash of darkness, which made Frisk feel like they were falling, they had appeared in front of the large door.

Frisk shyly stepped up to the door, _knock knock_. They knocked, and knocked again, and then sat in the snow in front of the door. They stared at the door…hoping…waiting.

"She hasn't come to the door in a long time, kiddo." He waited with them for a few minutes, and then turned around to head back. "I gotta finish my shift, you know the way home, right?"

Frisk turned around as he started to walk away, "No!" They said, frightened. They didn't want to be alone.

"Don't worry, I'm off in an hour, I'll meet you at home." Sans winked, waved, and was gone in a flash.

Frisk sat in the snow… they were nervous. It was terrifying being alone, because that meant..

"Howdy." A voice said coldly behind them. "So…trying to do things YOUR way…huh?" the small yellow flower sounded sickeningly cruel in tone. Frisk remained facing the door, they couldn't bring themself to look behind. Flowey scoffed, "all right, you try your little stunt. It won't do you any good in the end." The flower cackled before disappearing under the snow.

Frisk felt their eyes well up with tears, _What else can I do? What else can I try?_

Frisk walked back to the little town of Snowdin; they had stayed out for a few hours, longer than they originally planned. They were shivering from the cold, and stomped the snow off of their shoes before stepping inside the cottage at the far end of the village. They rubbed their shoulders to warm up, and placed their coat on one of the hooks.

"GREETINGS HUMAN! WELCOME BACK! DID YOU HAVE A PLEASANT DAY?" Papyrus was busily making spaghetti in the kitchen.

Frisk nodded and smiled before retreating under the blanket they had been using when the slept on the couch the past few nights.

"SANS! THE HUMAN HAS RETURNED! GET YOUR LAZY BONES DOWNSTAIRS."

Frisk heard Sans's door open, and the sound of his slippers as her came down the stairs. They felt Sans pat the top of their head through the blanket. "Look Papyrus, our blanket has become corporeal, what do you know?"

"ARE YOU SURE IT ISN'T THE HUMAN?"

Frisk lifted the blanket off of their head and around their shoulders like a cape. Frisk looked up, a little surprised, and then smiled faintly. "Hey, buddy… what's going on?"

They turned their gaze away from the worried skeleton, rubbing their fingers nervously. They couldn't bring themself to admit their plan had failed or even that there was more happening than they had let on. The shook their head, they didn't want to talk if they didn't have to.

They had a very quiet dinner, except for Papyrus, who was pretty much the only one who talked at all. The taller skeleton rambled on about training with Undyne and being on guard duty in the forests of Snowdin. Papyrus offered to clean up the dishes and then tucked in Frisk on the bed before returning to his room. Sans stayed next to Frisk on the couch, letting the flashing television lull them to sleep. Once Sans was sure the kid was asleep, he flipped off the television and looked at Frisk for a moment before turning to go to his own room.

Frisk was a small kid, it didn't take much blanket to cover them. Frisk was curled up, Sans thought their posture must've been uncomfortable, and yet they were sound asleep. They mumbled and twitched in their sleep; Sans wondered how they ever got any sleepy at all.

Sans knew; he knew about everything. But since he never asked, he didn't know how much the kid knew about RESETs or LOADs. They would have to die for either to occur.

"Mmmm…Sans?" He couldn't tell if the kid was awake or not, but sat back down anyway, and fluffed their hair out of their face.

"Evening, kiddo. Dreaming some sweet dreams in there?"

"I don't…wanna.. hurt you…Sans…" Even in their sleep, they were terrified how everyone around them.

"You won't kid, I promise."

One of their arms started falling to their side, but they ended up rolling off the bed and landed on the back on the floor. They woke immediately; holding their palms out in front of their face to shield themself. The hands slowly folded inward as their eyes started to open, panting heavily as they realized where they were.

"Hey kid." Sans said calmly, only causing them to back away a couple of feet, staring at him nervously. They took some deep, hasty breaths, and tried to calm down. "I'm not gonna hurt you… I just wanna talk."

Frisk nodded, _it's Sans…he would never hurt me._ They shifted around so they were leaning up against the edge of the sofa.

"So… seems like you've been having a bad time lately, huh?" Sans knew not to tip-toe around the subject. At this point, the kid could handle his blunt demeanor.

Frisk lost control; crossing their arms violently, they started shaking and sobbing. They weren't sure what had triggered it…like a distant, foggy memory that they couldn't comprehend. "I'm…scared…"

Sans slid himself next to them, placed a hand on their far shoulder and drew them in towards him. "H-hey… it's all right." He lied, almost a little too blatantly for his normal charade.

Frisk clutched him by his sweatshirt, letting their tears spill onto it uncontrollably. "I just fix everything… everything they did… why isn't it working?"

Sans was startled; this kid… wasn't the same as the other timelines? The ones where they…kill… "I got you, kid. No one's getting hurt." He held them a little closer, encouraging them to cry. It was better than a murderous rampage…but it made him feel guilty. They obviously weren't controlling their own actions, and he had killed them countless times to avenge his brother. "You just gonna hang in there… we're right behind you."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Crap! I meant to upload this chapter DAYS ago! So sorry for the delay!**

After a restless night, Frisk had finally fallen asleep just as the sun was rising. Sans had fallen asleep much earlier, but he stayed on the couch so they didn't feel alone. While half-asleep, Frisk could hear the two brothers get up, discuss their work for the day, and quietly leave at their usual time. The child let themself sleep for another hour or so, and then decided they should probably get up…and maybe try knocking on that door again.

Frisk ripped themself away from the warm cozy bed, putting on a warm jacket and some boots, and made their way back West toward the door. The paint on the door had been worn down from the weather over the years, but the Delta Rune itself stayed perfectly painted like it always had a fresh coat. _I wonder if that's magic-related?_

The knocked again, and every once in a while for nearly the entire afternoon. It disheartened Frisk, but at least Flowey didn't show up. They got up to leave, knocked again just in case and then turned around.

"Who's there?" a sweet, warm voice came from the other side of the door. Frisk's heart stopped.

"Canoe." It took every fiber of Frisk's courage to say it.

"Canoe…who?"

"Can… can you come out and talk, mom?" There was a dead silence; Frisk couldn't even shiver from the cold they were so nervous. "Please?" Their voice cracked.

The door opened, and the large goat-woman emerged, her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, my child… I am so sorry."

Toriel followed Frisk back to the house of the two skeleton brothers, explaining the events that had transpired. They explained the friends they had made, the danger they had been in… the choices they hadn't made yet.

"Oh dear…you've done so much. I have been so worried…I'm glad your friends have kept you safe." They walked past the Sans and Papyrus's house; Sans was just getting off duty in Waterfall. They walked to the edge of town, until Frisk saw the familiar sentry outpost. They smiled and ran up ahead to get Sans.

"Hey kid…who's your fr-"

"Oh! I think we may…know each other! Your voice!" The former queen rushed over excitedly.

"You must be Sans, the friend Frisk told me about. I am so thankful that you have upheld your promise to me."

Sans blushed, _is that really…the queen?!_ "Of course. Frisk is a good kid, you majesty, there is nothing my brother and I wouldn't do for them."

"I am no longer queen, you may call my Toriel." She smiled, drawing him in for a hug.

"I…uhhh…" Sans tried to regain his train of thought, after shaking his skull he remembered. "Yeah… so Papyrus and Undyne are in Hotland today training with some of the other Royal Guards." He paused, and looked down at Frisk. "Today's as good a day as any, huh?"

"What?" Frisk asked nervously.

"Well, now that you have found the missing qu- _former_ queen, maybe today is a good day to go see Asgore." He said casually, despite the weight of what that meant to Frisk. But they nodded, looking up at their two dearest friends.

"Yeah. I think I can do that."

They traveled through Waterfall, Toriel insisted that they stop to listen to as many of the echo-flowers as they could. She adored they mystery and the hope they inspired for other monsters. Soon enough, they were standing outside Alphys's lab. They gave a knock, and the yellow lizard emerged. "Uhh.. hi! OH! Ummmm uhhh hi…you're a new face?" Alphys said, looking at Toriel. After some introductions, they waited for Undyne and Papyrus to join them, and then they took the elevator up to the castle. Alphys explained to everyone about how only one human and one monster soul could go through the barrier. They just needed to convince Asgore to use on of the souls they already had to go ahead.

"It has been many…many years since I have set foot here." Toriel looked out over the lack-luster grey walls of the Capitol. They journeyed through the cottage that was planned out to be identical as the one Toriel had maintained in the Ruins, and before long, they were all standing in the hallway before the barrier. Toriel placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder, who had remained silent since Waterfall. "Be brave, young one, and do not fear. We will not let anything happen."

Through the door, Asgore was standing, facing the large, glowing barrier that trapped monsters for so many years.

"ASGORE!" Toriel said commandingly. He didn't move. "As..gore?"

When he turned around, they noticed that under his cloak were thick, green vines that were wrapped tightly around him. Frisk took a step back, burying their face in Sans's jacket.

A small, yellow flower appeared up from the floor just in front of Asgore. "Howdy!" Alphys had a similar reaction as Frisk, she was stunned at what she saw before them.

Papyrus looked down, surprised! "Hello there, friend! I haven't seen you in a while!"

Sans looked at Papyrus angrily, "THIS is the flower?" Sans stepped in front of all of them, his left eye emitting a strong cyan color. "What kind of monster are you… huh?"

Flowey smirked, "I used to be a monster… but now I'm so much more. You see…" Flowey forced the vines around Asgore to squeeze him a little harder, Toriel winced. "I knew you were all coming…knew you were deviating from the kid's path. So I had to improvise… Asgore saw you coming, and so he had the six human souls brought up. I was here at just the right time…and well… let' just say I'm ready for that last soul."

Vines popped up from the ground and shot towards Frisk. Their friends tried to attack the vines, whether by fire magic or spears. Flowey laughed mirthlessly. "That just won't work…you see… OOF!" A large bone hit Flowey, shaking the petals violently.

"There is no way you are touching that kid." Sans held an arm out, holding the vine that was approaching Frisk in its place.

"You can't hold that forever, you silly skeleton. Besides, that's not my only trick." More vines emerged from the group, and the other monsters were wrapped in coils of green before they could protest or fight back. Sans used all the strength he had to try and escape, but he could feel Flowey suppressing his powers. "None of that now… so where were we, Frisk?"

The child had drawn a small dagger, fighting off vines as they closed in on them. Their friends shouted encouragements. "SILENCE!" They were squeezed harder, unable to breathe.

Frisk looked up, panic and tears filling their eyes. Another vine popped out and plunged through Frisk's chest. They could see the faces of their friends trying to scream before the pain took over.

Everything went dark. Frisk could recall seeing Asgore or Toriel's face…but they were younger. It was a child. Frisk could remember speaking to the child, but little after that. They heard Sans yell their name, and woke up suddenly.

Sans was holding them up in his lap, all of their faces were covered in tears. Their faces, now looking quite shocked and concerned, closed in and surrounded where Sans was holding them. They were all speaking simultaneously, making Frisk squint their eyes. It went quiet, and then Sans spoke up. "We thought we lost you, kid… what happened?"

"None of us remember, young one… do you?" Asgore asked.

Frisk was about to speak, when they felt a pain tear through their chest, where their soul was pulsing, struggling. They crossed their hands onto their chest, unable to breathe let alone speak. They went unconscious once more, and their hands lifted off of their chest. Held tenderly in their hands was a small, weak light. It was impossible for them to explain it, but they could sense that Frisk's soul, the small light, was on the edge of collapse. Every time it would start to fade, Frisk's hands would hold it a little tighter and the light would return briefly. This repeated until it took what seemed like an excruciatingly long time for the light to return, just dim to see.

"Oh… aaaa….Asgoooree? What d-do we do?" Alphys asked nervously.

Suddenly, Sans felt his soul's manifestation emit from his eye. Almost instinctively, he placed a hand on Frisk's, closing his eyes and concentrating. Toriel did the same, whispering, "We will save you, my child." The others followed, each one at a time, aiding to mend the child's soul.

The ground shook, and a ripple of energy passed inwards toward their collection of hands, and then in a large flash they were all tossed outwards away from Frisk. They slowly all sat up, rubbing their heads. After a minute, they turned their attention towards the child, who was sprawled out on the floor in the middle of them all.

Frisk hoisted themself up onto their wrists, and looked up. "The… the barrier… its… its gone."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Needed a short break from writing, but I'm back!**

 **EPILOGUE**

 _GEE, THEY'RE BREATHING HAS GOTTEN FASTER_

 _I think they're waking up…_

 _I hope so, it's been a few days._

 _Wait, wait, they're eyes are opening!_

 _Hey kid, can you open your eyes?_

Frisk blinked their eyes open slowly, the blurry images becoming clearer with each blink. "Wha- What happened?"

There was a sigh of relief and joy; each of them reacting differently to their dear little human waking up.

"YOU WERE ASLEEP FOR A VERY LONG TIME! WE WERE QUITE CONCERNED!" the taller skeleton proclaimed.

"Ssshh, don't worry they, Papyrus." Toriel scolded gently.

"How…how long have I been unconscious?" Frisk asked, and a hush lulled over the group of monsters.

"A…c-couple days…" Alphys admitted, sounding defeated. "You soul almost collapsed, we all brought it back with our power but…w-we…"

"We weren't sure if it was going to be enough." Asgore said with a sob in his throat.

Frisk locked their gaze on Sans, who had been pretty quiet and stoic for the most part, aside from a few scoffs while the others doted on Frisk. "Sans… are you okay?" Their meek voice broke through the awkward quietness, and Sans finally looked up, revealing the tears that started to escape his eye sockets. "I'm just…glad you're all right, kiddo."

Sans pulled Frisk up out of the bed and held them close, letting himself sob into their shoulder. The child pulled him in closer, letting him cry pathetically onto them.

"OH…SANS…" Papyrus leaned in and held his brother and Frisk closely. "EVERTHING IS GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT."

After Frisk rested for a few more hours, they were wide awake and cheerful as always. Giggling, playing games with Papyrus and Alphys, watching anime with Undyne, even spent some quality time with Toriel. Their recovery in their bedroom in New Home had been slow but steady. The barrier was open, but everyone promised to wait until Frisk was feeling better. They insisted time after time, but they waited another week before they packed up to face the new world.

Frisk took Sans by the hand, "hey, you came from above ground, it can't be that scary." He assured them, rubbing their hair so it was frizzy and messy. Frisk just clung to him tightly.

"I know…but…I'm scared of what's going to happen next." They took a few more steps, the light at the end of the tunnel approached.

They reached the broad daylight aboveground, aweing at the beautiful sunset for a few minutes before many of them went their separate ways, until only Toriel and Sans remained.

"I…I will go check on Papyrus, and make sure he does not cause too much trouble," Toriel said, graciously. While Frisk recovered, the two of them had become quite close, so she didn't mind looking after the skeleton when she knew Frisk and Sans wanted to talk.

The two of them waited until it had gotten completely dark, until Frisk finally rested a hand on Sans's leg, and looked at them intently. "I…I hope you still want to be friends after all this."

Sans looked down at them, confused, "why wouldn't I want to be friends with you?"

Frisk pulled their hands back, and fiddled them around. "I wasn't strong enough to get you out sooner."

Sans laughed, "that's all? Gee kid, we've waited this long, an extra few weeks until you were better was a small price to pay."

Frisk stared up at him, "you know what I mean, Sans." They sighed, and looked out over the skyline, cracking a smile. "You know about the resets…all of the previous attempts and failures…"

Sans froze, shutting his eyes. "You…remember some of that then, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"That's wasn't you kid. You know that, right?" Sans looked at them, now concerned.

Frisk couldn't bring themself to look back up at him. "I just wanted to make things right, ya know?"

Sans joined them in taking in sight of the darkened town beyond the hills, "I know, Frisk. It'll be fine now. Whatever you decide to do…we'll all be right there behind you."


End file.
